Hey there runners! Last week we talked about adding some spices to help boost your body’s ability to recover and lower inflammation, so this week we’ll continue with the theme and go in the green direction—herbs!
Just like many of the spices that can keep your body healthy and ready to deal with the demands of your running program, some of the herbs that are very beneficial are quite common and easy to add to your daily meal plan. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, most people can easily get a few herbs to grow. You don’t even need a lot of space as many will happily grow in a little container in your kitchen. If you can’t get access to fresh ones, many times the dried versions are even more potent as the beneficial compounds tend to be concentrated once all of the moisture is taken out and the plant is ground down into a powder form.
While all of the ones I’ll talk about today can help improve inflammation, there are some other benefits of each that may also be useful to those of us who happily put a bit of stress on our bodies in our endeavors on the streets and trails.
Rosemary
Besides assisting the body to deal with inflammation, rosemary also contains compounds that can improve the circulatory system and help lower blood pressure. This common herb can also help balance out hormones—which is especially important for female runners. Your hormones control so many aspects of the body including metabolism, mood, energy levels, and performance.
Sage
Sage contains many flavonoids and phenolic plant compounds that help reduce inflammation and have many antioxidant functions which help the body recover from the physical stresses of intense activity. Like many of the herbs listed here, sage has been used for its healing properties for many centuries and we are only just now tapping into its full potential. It is reported to help ease the symptoms of arthritis and contains vitamin K which plays a role in bone health. If you steep it as a tea it can be very helpful in easing symptoms of digestive distress (another form of inflammation in many cases).
Basil
Basil has a lot of the same benefits of sage as they contain many similar plant compounds. It is also one that contains compounds that can help your body be able to better deal with physical and mental stressors. The manganese present in good quantities in basil leaves is also beneficial for your metabolism and can help your body utilize energy from glucose better—more fuel for your legs! ;)
Chamomile
Though chamomile is mostly known for its benefits as a relaxing tea, drinking a cup in the evening can have indirect benefits as healthy sleep habits can help the body be able to recover from your hard running workouts. It is no secret that most of the benefits of hard workouts actually occur while your body is repairing its muscles and connective tissue, so making sure to get enough sleep and rest is very important for recovery. Chamomile is also used as a mild mood enhancer. Anything that helps with mental stress is beneficial because then your body has more energy to deal with physical repair, as well.
Parsley
This is another one that may only have mild anti-inflammatory benefits, but it is an excellent herb to keep your kidneys running strong. Parsley is a mild diuretic, so it can help flush any toxins from your kidneys. That is important as many waste products leave the body as urine, including some metabolic waste that is the result of running and any other intense physical activity. Since it is detoxifying, it is a great herb to incorporate regularly just to keep your body healthier overall!
I don’t know which herb is my favorite—I just love to use them all in my daily cooking and am so lucky that we have enough space in our garden to grow plenty of varieties! How about you guys?
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